‘ARGO’ Movie Review- Tanmay Dubey

 

 

Starring :-Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John goodman

Director:- Ben Affleck

 

‘ARGO’ is a Greek mythological ship which helped the mythological characters to fleece from a danger area and in a  way the title is aptly suited to the film. ARGO got the best picture award in this year’s Oscar by non-other than US first Lady Michelle Obama and many in world politics and world cinema thinks that this is another sign of America’s showmanship and arrogance when matters or films about middle east is concerned .

If we leave apart the politics and back stage gossips, ‘ARGO’ is a film based on a real life incident in 1980’s when six American consulate workers were stuck in Iran due to the internal political unrest and how CIA plans their rescue completes the story. This film once again proves the great American love for Hollywood and how seriously they take their cinema ! I will talk nothing more about the film as it will reveal more than what the review is intended to. J

Ben Affleck does a good job both as an actor and better job as a director while researching for the film. The film gives you a feel of a documentary from the way it is shot on print and the way characters are dressed which makes it look like a film of 80’s. The story is setup in Iran and the narrative of the film almost makes Iran into a character in the film. Argo has its usual twists and tense moments of a thriller. It’s not a fast paced action packed thriller; yet the subtle humour in the dialogues and ‘will it or will it not happen’ makes you hang on till the end.  

Argo is an interesting historical account on one of the most remarkable rescue mission in CIA history. It can be a good text book study for Indian filmmakers who wants to make films on real life incidents. You can easily sail on the ARGO while it lasts !

 

Score Stack Up:-

+ ive:-  Good research , tight screenplay and Funny Dialogues.

-  ive:-  nothing much for action lovers.

 

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 3 out of 5

Tanmay's Rating : 3 out of 5

 

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Scores Classifications- 

(5)  Very Good, Must Watch 

(4)   Good, Should Watch 

(3)   Not Bad;

(2)  One Time Watch; 

(1)  On your own risk;  

‘HITCHCOCK’ Movie Review- Tanmay Dubey

Starring :-  Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson,Danny Huston


Director:- Sacha Gervasi



‘ALFRED HITCHCOCK” the name has a surreal mystery surrounding it; It is not just like that he was called the Master of Suspense ! :-)

‘Hitchcock’ is based on 1990 nonfiction book by Stephen Rebello Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. This movie traces the life and times of Mr. Alfred Hitchcock when the bug of making Pyscho (which later turned out to be one of the biggest hit of his career) struck him. Pyscho- the book was by then treated as cheap sex thriller but it was Alfred Hitchcock’s vision and passion that he made a super hit picture out of that book.

The Movie starts when Mr. Alfred Hitchcock decides to film Psycho against wishes of his wife who wants him to work on another script, against the wishes of a big Hollywood studio who wants him to direct James Bond flick ‘Casino Royale’. The film is a close look on Hitchcock as a personality, his showmanship- when he decides to hide Psycho while filming it, his indulgence- with his leading ladies, his inner fears- as a man obsessed with murder mysteries, his smartness- to tackle censor and his passion- for film making when no one is ready to put money on the film, he mortgages his bungalow and manages to retain it along with the ‘swimming pool’ in the end!

The film also shows the relationship he had with his wife, Alma who was more than a life partner to him. She was an active supporter and critic of his work. Without her he could not have achieved the cinematic height he did in his career. Their love hate relationship makes you fall in love with them as in a dialogue when Alma says “ Darling, you may not be the easiest man to live with, but you certainly know how to cut a picture better than anybody else” you can’t resist but to smile.

The movie also shows the filming of the famous ‘shower scene’ and Hitchcock’s passion behind filming it. Performance wise Anthony Hopkins as the leading man is nothing short of brilliant. He performs as if the ghost of Mr Hitchcock entered into him. He has worked hard (gained lots of weight) to copy his look, his mannerism, his love for food everything. Helen Mirren as Alma gives a fine performance and Scarlett Johnson has nothing much in the film but to look good.

The Film would be loved by people who loved Alfred Hitchcock and his movies and by them who are enthralled to know what goes behind making a movie right from its conception to delivery !

Score Stack Up:-

+ ive:-  Great Performance, Fantastic Screenplay and Funny Dialogues.

-  ive:-  Might impress only a section of audience.

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 3 out of 5

Tanmay's Rating : 3.75 out of 5 ( little extra points for being Alfred Hitchcock’s fan)



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Scores Classifications- 

(5)  Very Good, Must Watch 

(4)   Good, Should Watch 

(3)   Not Bad;

(2)  One Time Watch; 

(1)  On your own risk;  

‘Les Miserables’ Movie Review- Tanmay Dubey

 

 

Starring: -  Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried

Director:- Tom Hooper

 

Les Miserables in French means The Miserable. It is a musical and is reportedly based on 1862 novel by Victor Hugo with the same name. The book was very well appreciated in the then literary circles and is considered to be one of Victor Hugo’s master-piece in world literature.

This Film is a unique film, by the very fact that it is based on a musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg the dialogues are more like long poems. It is like watching an Opera on Screen. The Story of the film is set in the early 1800’s and takes you through the social fabric of France which existed at that point of time.  The film tells the Story of Jean Valjean brilliantly played by Hugh Jackman. Jean who is a prisoner, gets released on parole from jail and how his life goes through different changes, when his past devils returns to haunt him. He has a choice to make in his life. He listens to his conscience and succumbs himself to the inner Gods.

Les Miserables boast of an ensemble cast. It is astonishing to see the transformation every actor and actresses had made from their usual appearances for this film. Be it the getup for the role, body language, and dialogue delivery everything is par excellence. Hugh Jackman doesn’t look like a hunk, Anna Hathaway is not in her charming self, yet they win over your heart by their brilliant performance. It was difficult for them not only on the physicality of the role but also on dialogue delivery as the entire films is like a collection of poem sung by the protagonists themselves recorded live during filming.

In a swordfight scene  between Jackman and Russell crow it is little funny to see them sing their lines while they would be used to hurling abuses while filming a similar scene in their respective earlier movies.  This movie is definitely for classes. Even in Hollywood it is liked by a very select few.  Watch it if you have a taste for European History and Opera!

 

Score Stack Up:-

 

 

+ ive:-  brilliant Performance,  great cinematography and editing.

 

-  ive:-  singing dialogues may not appeal to the mass.

 

 

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 2 out of 5


Tanmay's Rating : 2.5 out of 5

 

 

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Scores Classifications- 

 

(5)  Very Good, Must Watch 

(4)   Good, Should Watch 

(3)   Not Bad ;

(2)  One Time Watch ; 

(1)  On your own risk ;  

 

‘Zila Ghaziabad’ Movie Review- Tanmay Dubey

 

 

Starring :-  Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vivek Oberoi, Minnisha Lamba, Ravi Kishan, Paresh Rawal, Sunil Grover, Ashutosh Rana  with Shriya Saran and Geeta Basra in item numbers

Director:- Anand Kumar

‘Zila Ghaziabad’ by Director Anand Kumar is apparently based on a true story of Gang War that existed during 80’s and 90’s between two rival gangs in Ghaziabad led by Vivek Oberoi and Arshad Warsi respectively. Sanjay Dutt plays a smart cop who finishes this gang war and brings peace in Ghaziabad “ janha koi halka nahi mutta” as per the poster of the film.

The problem with the film begins from its start itself. After gathering an interesting cast and being able to manage a descent performance by most of them with Arshad Warsi standing tall among all, the film fades as soon as it begins. The Film is filled with cheesy and very weak dialogues with screenplay almost struggling to get the narrative going. This film could have been a good biopic like ‘Pan Singh Tomar’ or a good underworld film like ‘Satya’ and ‘D Company’ but instead the director chooses to tell the story as if the characters are larger than life, flashing Rayban goggles, doing gravity defining over the top action, with a heavy dose of similarity in sequences with films like Dabangg and Rowdy Rathore. 

This confusion of the director whether to make an action film based on real incident or to make a masala film with item songs, having loud background score leaves the audience equally confused And one does not help but end up feeling as if they are watching and old gangster movie straight out of 90’s. Hopefully the film might do good business in single theaters and small towns.

The film has non inspiring music and no comic content makes watching this movie like walking in the rough with hot scorching sun on the top. !

 

Score Stack Up:-

+ ive:-  Good Performance by Arshad Warsi,

 

-  ive:-  Weak Screenplay, below Average Dialogues, poor music, and loose direction.

 

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 1.5 out of 5


Tanmay's Rating : 1 out of 5

 

 

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Scores Classifications- 

 

(5)  Very Good, Must Watch 

(4)   Good, Should Watch 

(3)   Not Bad ;

(2)  One Time Watch ; 

(1)  On your own risk ;  

‘Silver Lining Playbook’  Movie Review by Tanmay

 

 

 

Starring :- Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence ,Robert De Niro ,Jacki Weaver , Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher

Director:- David O Russell

 

‘Silver Lining Playbook’, is adapted by the novel of same name by Mathew Quick. It is a story of a man suffering from bipolar disorder who is obsessed with his love for his wife who has left him after he badly beats her extra marital lover and goes to Hospital for a rehabilitation program.  When he comes back from Hospital how he gets his ‘love’, his social life, and his family life back completes the film.

Bradley cooper portrayal of man suffering from bipolar disorder is superb. This role is away from his usual cool dude roles in ( A Team, Hangover 1,2) He has worked on his body language ( gained a little weight)  and very ably plays the mood swings his character goes through the film. Jennifer Lawrence who plays mad, carefree ‘Tiffany’ is nominated for Oscar for best actress and rightly so, her strange character and equally strong portrayal by her is another shining point of the film.

And to make the tri star complete Robert De Niro act as bet loving, football crazy father is very good. It is the strong performance of the lead actors that makes this film stand tall. Anupam Kher has not much to boast in this film except for the fact that he shares the screen with Hollywood biggies.     

The film is essentially is cute, crazy love story of a slightly ‘mad’ guy who will make you fall in love with him. !  

 

Score Stack Up:-

 

 

+ ive:-  Brilliant Performances, Good Story and Screenplay ,

 

-  ive:-  Nothing much for Indian Masses.

 

 

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 2 out of 5


Tanmay's Rating : 3.75 out of 5

 

 

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Scores Classifications- 

 

(5)  Very Good, Must Watch 

(4)   Good, Should Watch 

(3)   Not Bad ;

(2)  One Time Watch ; 

(1)  On your own risk ;  

Kai Po che’ Movie Review- Tanmay Dubey

 

Starring :- Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh Amrita Puri

Director:- Abhishek Kapoor

Kai Po che- is a special film for two persons 1. The Director Abhishek Kapoor and 2. Chetan Bagat who’s best-selling novel “3 Mistakes of my life” is the inspiration behind the film. Before this film Abhishek has directed two films ‘Aryan’ which struggled to release and ‘Rock On’ which many people said was successful because of Farhan Akhtar. Similarly for Chetan Bhagat, before this film he has got two films based on his novels (‘Hello’ : ‘One night @ call center’ which did not do well @ box office and ‘3 idiots’ based on ‘5 point someone’, the success of that film was largely because of Aamir Khan and Raj kumar Hirani.)

In a way ‘Kai Po che’ is a boat which will test the laurels of both Abhishek Kapoor and Chetan Bhagat in their respective tough waters. To make a film based on a best-selling novel is never an easy job and thankfully Abhishek Kapoor achieves this tough task with a fairly good margin. The movie is about three friends and the now famous male bonding in Bollywood. Its shares the life and times of three friends during a time span of 15 years and interestingly the historical test match between India and Australia in the year 2001 becomes part of narrative and breaks the silence between  two protagonists at one point in the film. The strong point of the movie is its story, which keeps the audience hooked with one turn and another. The performances of all the actors are tremendous, be it the new comer Sushant singh on his temperamental attitude or Raj kumar yadav (earlier films Ragini MMS, Talaash) with his Baniya attitude and Amit Sadh with his tough, non-talkative character.

Special mention of Manav kaul who plays bittu mama; one of the pivotal characters in the film, Manav is a personal friend and three cheers for him to pull of the character with so much maturity and amazing ease. Way to go bro.

Sadly for the film, the music could have been littlemore impact full, as music plays a very important role in the success of Bollywood films. Amrita purl is cute in her pari hu mian act and could not have asked for more in the film.

All in all, Kudos for Director Abhishek Kapoor for bringing an unconventional story with three new comers and letting offer the audience a different dish to taste. ‘Kai po che’ means “ I have cut the kite” in Guajarati. The film slightly manages to achieve that……….cut the kite of your entertainment quotient……!

 

 

Score Stack Up:-

 

 

+ ive:-  Brilliant Performances, Good screenplay and  Direction,

 

-  ive:-  the music could have been better  .

 

 

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 3 out of 5


Tanmay's Rating : 3.25 out of 5

 

 

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Scores Classifications- 

 

(5)  Very Good, Must Watch 

(4)   Good, Should Watch 

(3)   Not Bad ;

(2)  One Time Watch ; 

(1)  On your own risk ;  

 

A Good Day to Die Hard - Movie Review by Tanmay

Starring:- Bruce Wills, Jai Courtney Director:- John Moore Welcome to John McLane’s Die hard world, where cars fly, bones are crushed, blood is spilled, buildings are broken and bullets are shot without giving a damn! In this  5th edition of the famous  ‘Die Hard’ series which began way back in 1988 and since then it has become a brand in itself which promises full blown action, killing of bad men, in the straight to the point John McLane way Bruce wills goes to America to look out for his son who he thinks is lost in the bad drug world. But things are not what they looks like, John soon finds himself in the middle of his Son’s ‘operation’ and help him clear the mess. And in the Process the father son bonding develops.... And how does he do that? Simple: - by firing bullets, hurling abuses, jumping from buildings and blowing things off The film is like a high action dope for its viewers with little thought on the complexity of the plot. The film promises some real high octane action scenes and a wafer thin story. While one cannot compare this film with all earlier Die Hard series but Unlike the last DH 4.0 the film is little weak on story but is it really important in an action film ?    Score Stack Up:- + ive:- Superb Action - ive:- Weak plot. Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating - 3 out of 5 Tanmay's Rating- 3 out of 5 ------------------------------ Scores Classifications- (5) Very Good, Must Watch  (4) Good, Should Watch (3) Not Bad ; (2) One Time Watch ; (1) On your own risk

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ - Tanmay’s  Views and Movie Review

   

Casting: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton

 

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ comes from the Oscar Winning Director Kathryn Bigelow (‘Hurt Locker’) who gave a pleasant shock to the audience with real life war sequences, almost on the spot camera positions as if a news reporter is reporting the war scene in her previous film. Expect similar excitement, action scenes and camera movement in her latest Offering.

This film is more factual than fictional and tells behind the scene story of Osama bin Laden’s execution by American Seal soldiers. The Story is narrated from the perspective of a women CIA agent named ‘Maya’ superbly played by Jessica Chastain. Her character grows in the film from a sensitive new recruit in 2003 who cannot stand the brutality shown by her colleagues during interrogation to a strong willed lady who cracks the whereabouts of America’s most wanted man and plays a key role in the operation.

Director Katheryn Bigelow wastes no time in character build up in the film ( which is an advantage for films based on real life incidences) and comes straight to the point from the word go. The film almost cruises along nicely and dialogues bring occasional smile, when asked about “How do you like Pakistan” Meera replies “it’s quite F#&@ed up ! ” A Suspect tells her about another one “he is tall, thin, has white long beard” She replies “quite like Gendalf !”

The film is marketed as about Osama’s execution in Abottabad, however the film tracks the life of a CIA agent over a period of time who witnesses various terror attacks like Islamabad Marriott Bombing, Camp Chapman attack and finally Obama’s execution. This Film is a spy thriller, minus the bondesque glamour and gadgets with real non flashy villains!

The excitement of seeing the unseen about America’s most wanted man’s execution keeps the audience glued to the screen. Kudos to Director  for maintaining a non- partial attitude though out the film. This movie though made up in a documentary style with almost nil background score will definitely be successful in hooking you up !   

Score Stack Up:-

 

+ ive:-  Brilliant Performances, Great screenplay, Fantastic Direction, and Cinematography

 

-  ive:-  not much……J .

 

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 3.5 out of 5

Tanmay's Rating : 4 out of 5

 

 

‘Django Unchained’ - Tanmay’s Views and Review

Casting: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington.

 

Director: Quentin Tarantino

 

This ‘new film by Quentin Tarantino’ is a portrayal of the ugly Wild West, where blood and money are traded against flesh, but in true ‘Tarantino style’. The movie is about slave trade which was very common in the mid-1850 in America. The slaves were traded in inhuman way like objects and they often succumbed to the brutality and the amusement of the land lords or the plantation owners. ‘Django unchained’ is a story of one such slave Django with ‘D’ silent :-)……. played by Jammie Foxx who fights for his love against the brutal world with the help of a white man Dr. Shultz played by Christoph Waltz.

 

This movie is essentially an action love story, and all the scenes are ‘bloody’ good, with blood spilling every time the bullet strikes ‘any part’ of the body. These scenes create a merciless visual impact on the audience. The background score of the film is amazing and almost creates the joyful narration in the true west style. Leonardo Di Caprio gives a very powerful performance as a baddie (we are not used to see him in such roles and he pleasantly surprises us ! ) Samuel L. Jackson is superb as wicked Samuel. Another good part of the film is its cinematography and the subtle dark humor in the dialogues. 

 

Christop Waltz transformation from a professional bounty hunter who fearlessly faces and reads them well before they happen, to a man who gives up to the situation during the climax is superb. Superlative performance by all the actors/actresses in the movie raises the bar of the film and takes it into the league of its own. 

 

All in all, this film is action packed look on the wicked world which existed pre-civil war days in America, watch it for lots of bloody action scenes in style where the oppressed wins the war against the world of his existence for Love…!!!  

 

This one ain’t no nonsense…aaei..!

 

Score Stack Up:-

+ ive:-  Brilliant Performances, Great screenplay, Fantastic Direction, and Cinematography

-  ive:-  Action scenes might not be good for children and weak hearts.

 

Box Office, Paisa Vasool Rating:- 3.75 out of 5

Tanmay's Rating : 3.75 out of 5

 

 

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Scores Classifications- 

 

(5)  Very Good, Must Watch 

(4)   Good, Should Watch 

(3)   Not Bad ;

(2)  One Time Watch ; 

(1)  On your own risk ;